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It was an amount I could afford to lose, and I thought he was trying to establish creditability. As he was running for a witness position. I figured he couldn't scam us without taking himself out too.

That’s completely understandable and a valid reason. It’s just that the demeanor of this post is that you kind of expected the investment to fail and didn’t have any confidence in @zeartful to hold up his end of the agreement. Sometimes we should try and give people the benefit of the doubt and make amends rather than public shaming

I accepted that it was a risk. I didn't clarify well, but there were signs AFTER I sent him money.

I am not calling victim here, I made a risky investment. Just sharing an experience.